MADISON TOWNSHIP – It took just two negotiating sessions to finalize a new support staff contract for Madison Local Schools.
The school board held a special meeting Wednesday to approve the three-year contract between the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 292 and the school district. The board approved it by a 5-0 vote.
OAPSE members include bus drivers, janitors, librarians and cafeteria workers, and they will receive a 2% raise each of the three years.
“It was a great negotiation,” said board member Tim Wigton. “It was very easy to talk to them and reach agreements on these issues. Very positive.”
Superintendent Rob Peterson provided some additional details of the contract.
“The board (currently) covers 4% of their contributions to their pension system,” he said. “We were able to negotiate that we will no longer cover that 4%.”
After the meeting he explained this in more detail.
“This will be a zero-sum game for the employees and the district,” Peterson said. “We will increase the salary scale by 4%. That is a fair trade-off, salary for retirement.”
Members of the support staff will be required to pay an additional 1% contribution to their health insurance over the three years.
Maximum out-of-pocket payments increase by $250 for in-network individuals and $500 for in-network families. For those outside the network, these payments increase to $500 and $1,000, respectively.
Board members addressed several other financial issues during the four-minute meeting.
They approved a 2% base salary increase for Peterson and Treasurer Bradd Stevens.
In addition, the Board approved benefit changes and 2% salary increases for administrative, confidential and district-specific contract employees.
Members also approved the following replacement wages: $12.50 for cooks, $13.50 for secretaries, administrative assistants, aides, laborers, janitors, summer lawn mowers and additional labor, and $18 for bus drivers.
After the meeting, Peterson said negotiations with teachers were still ongoing.
The 2024-2025 school year will be special in Madison, with many activities planned to celebrate the school district’s centennial.
“It’s nice to have this done and behind us,” Peterson said of the union negotiations with the support staff. “This is a great start to the school year.”
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